Page 105 of Perfect Enough
Nate shrugged. “Some girl he met a few weeks ago. He’s done nothing but talk about her since they met.”
“Really?” I tried to see through the crowd, but Decker had vanished into the sea of people. “Good for him,” I said.
Again, Nate glanced at Lacey and Laney. “I don’t think you ladies are going to get what you’re looking for here.”
Lacey stood and attempted to sit on my lap. “Come on, Josh. I can make you feel better if you just let me.”
“That’s enough, Lacey.” I removed her from my lap. “I think you both need to go.”
Nate took one for the team. “Come dance with me, Lacey.”
She smiled and quickly made her way to the dance floor with Nate. Laney looked at me with a hopeful expression.
“Sorry. I’m not in the mood for dancing.”
Leaning toward me, she looked me over thoughtfully. “I know what it feels like to lose someone you love, Josh. Lacey told me about your grandfather. The worst thing you can do is sit alone in the dark.”
I smiled slightly. “I’m not in the dark. There are lights everywhere.”
Standing, she reached for my hand. “Listen, I’m not sure why Lacey wants to hook up with you so badly, but I’m just in town on vacation. I’m not looking for anything but a chance to have a fun night. Dance with me. It’ll be good for you, and I can go back to New York and tell them I danced with a handsome cowboy.”
When she just waited patiently, and it was clear she wouldn’t give up, I stood with a sigh and followed her to the dance floor. It was a slow song, and I kept a reasonable distance between us.
“Have you thought about talking to someone about your grandfather’s death?”
“You mean a therapist?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you find it odd to talk to a stranger about going to counseling? You don’t even know me.”
She laughed. “Iama therapist, so I don’t find it strange. Moreover, I’m a grief therapist. Sometimes, talking to someone who doesn’t have a stake in your grief helps.”
“A stake in my grief?”
Nodding, she went on. “Your cousin Nate, for example. He’s grieving just like you are, so you’re not always able to talk to him about it because he’s going through the same thing. He might be handling it differently than you, but the fact is, he’s in the same spot. Same with your father or mother, depending on whose father it was. A best friend and or a girlfriend is also sometimes hard to speak to because they also have a stake in how this loss affects you. Yes, they’ll all insist you can come to them and talkabout your grief, and I’m sure they’ll mean it sincerely…but what you might actually need is a stranger.”
Raising a brow, I asked, “Are you volunteering?”
She laughed. “I am not.Thistherapist is on vacation.”
Guilt instantly slammed against my chest as I thought about Sophia. “I have a girlfriend, but I haven’t acted much like a boyfriend the last few days. I shouldn’t be dancing with you.”
“Why not? We’re not doing anything wrong. It’s just a dance, Josh.”
I thought about how I had reacted to Sophia having breakfast with Nate.
Shrugging, I said, “I pushed her away. I’ve just wanted to be alone. I’ve got some things I need to decide.”
“And you don’t think she’d want to be part of those decisions?”
“I need to decide them on my own.”
Laney nodded and looked around the dance floor. “So why come out tonight, if it’s clear you’d rather sit alone with your thoughts?”
“I was forced to.”
She laughed again. “Somehow, Josh, I can’t imagine anyone forcing you to doanythingyou don’t want to do. Try again.”